NEW YORK CITY: Seven Men Arrested For Brutal Anti-Gay Hate Crimes

New York City police have arrested seven gang members who lured a gay man and two teenagers to a house in the Bronx where the victims were brutally tortured. Two other members of the gang are still at large.

There were nine attackers, ranging from 16 to 23 years old and calling themselves the Latin King Goonies, the police said. Before setting upon their 30-year-old victim, they had snatched up two teenage boys whom they beat, the police said — until the boys — one of whom was sodomized with a plunger — admitted to having had sex with the man. The attackers forced the man to strip to his underwear and tied him to a chair, the police said. One of the teenage victims was still there, and the “Goonies” ordered him to attack the man.

The teenager hit him in the face and burned him with a cigarette on his nipple and penis as the others jeered and shouted gay slurs, the police said. Then the attackers whipped the man with a chain and sodomized him with a small baseball bat. The beatings and robberies went on for hours. They were followed by a remarkably thorough attempt to sanitize the house — including pouring bleach down drains, the police said, as little by little word of the attacks trickled to the police. A crucial clue to the attackers was provided by someone who slipped a note to a police officer outside the crime scene, at 1910 Osborne Place in Morris Heights, near Bronx Community College.

Read the New York Times complete accounting of the attacks and the investigation.

REACTIONS

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

"The malicious hate crime that took place in the Bronx is an atrocity. We all must come together and condemn this horrible act. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and with all the people of this community that were targeted by this evil assault. “The predators sought to invoke fear and panic among all of us and we will not allow that. Whether because of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, a crime such as this victimizes every one of us. I know that law enforcement will continue to build a strong case and ensure the maximum punishment for this type of crime."

Human Rights Campaign

“It is tragic to see what hate can do. These three men were brutally attacked and sodomized simply for who they are. Authorities must vigorously prosecute the perpetrators of these hateful crimes. Unfortunately, these crimes come on the heels of several other recently reported hate crimes in New York City. These crimes only emphasize the need for strong federal and state hate crimes laws.”